Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1970-1979

Italian Film Historian Roberto Curti has written a companian volume to his 2015 excellent overview of the Italian Gothic Horror Film by continuing from 1970 to 1979. There are a few changes this time , the table of contents now are arranged by year and within each year are the films Italian title, there is a seperate chapter on Gothic Television series which began in 1971 influenced by the literary Gothic genre and continued well into the Eighties,and most importantly, Mr.Curti shows the influence of the changes to the Gothic Horror film by the Giallo genre as new Directors such as Dario Argento and Pupi Avati merged both forms for their photoplays and how the once virginal heroines emerged as powers to be reckoned with by over the top violence and nudity peppered throughout some stories. I never realized how many films Director Avati had made since they were never released in this country . The films of Directors Sergio Martino, Paolo Solvey aka Luigi Batzella and Francesco Barilli among others are finally given their due and each film is given in depth cast and credits and DVD/Blu-Ray availability if possible. Of course, his choice of film stills is the icing on the cake. In short, another incredible study by Mr.Curti which is highly recommended to fans of Euro Horror and all things fantastic. Bravo once again, Mr. Curti, by giving us a two volume treasure trove study on this important genre in Italian film History and I hope there will be a volume three.

I mis read the book pre-purchase I thought it said the Giallo not Gothic..Nevertheless it’s a very good read introducing me to a lot of movies I’ve never heard of from the greatest era for music and movies in the history of the world, the 1970s. I’m not the best person to take purchase advice regarding 1970s horror movies as I “eat up” anything and everything that’s put out. Easy read, the author does not try to use words nobody understands. The print size (ie font) is small so it is jampacked with the information. A lot of the information I’m not really concerned with things like who was in charge of lighting hairstylists etc. It is not big on photos but there are other books for that. I’ve only just started reading it I can probably add more to the review later if I remember to do so not that you’re eagerly anticipating my amendments.

A great read filled with valuable insight into the films and the filmmakers who created them. A worthy addition to the library for fans of Italian genre cinema this blows away most books that cover similar ground.

Roberto Curti delivers yet another great book on Italian film history!! Keep them coming Roberto!!

Great book.

5 stars for content, 1 star subtracted for layout, print quality and form/structure. the value of this book comes from 3 things:1. it constantly re-evaluates the term "Gothic" and reasonably brings previously overlooked films into focus which mistakenly had been rotting in the wrong drawer (giallo, arthouse thriller, exploitation trash). this book features all those gems which have been mislabelled or criminally neglected in the otherwise flawless Horror reference book, "Euro Gothic" by Rigby. it's due to Curti that masterpieces like Arcana, White Dress for Marialé, Perfume Of The Lady In Black or other must-haves like Notte Dei Dannati, Nuda Per Satana and many more now are treasured DVD additions to the Horror collection.2. actually "Italian Gothic Horror Films 1970 - 79" hardly to never overlaps "Euro Gothic", but fills exactly the gaps which are left there. almost none of the films found here are properly represented there. both books complement each other perfectly.3. his previous "Italian Gothic Films 1960 - 69" offered little to discover, dealing with a period of famous classics. on top of that, Curti's main interests seemed to have been long, laborious to sometimes even boring reviews, pages-long interpretations of the films we all perfectly know and love anyway. this 70s book is of a whole different calibre! instead of focusing on the plot of a film and his personal opinion, Curti provides us with many anectdotes and much background information, which made it not only an informative but also very entertaining book.a must-have for all Horror connoisseurs.

Roberto Curti's love and fascination with Italian genre cinema oozes out of every book he publishes. I bought this for the inclusion of Queens of Evil and A White Veil for Mariele and found much more to love as I poured through the book. I was delighted to come across a few giallos that rank among my favorites too, but the interviews, coverage, and background information on Pupi Avanti make this among my top favorite Italian movie guides. That alone makes this more than worth the price of Kindle admission.I'd love to see Mr. Curti explore giallos and perhaps a guide on Italian and European actors and actresses.Minor quibbles: a table of contents by year would be nice and I wish some titles got more coverage than they did.

Das Buch befasst sich mit den italienischen Gruselfilmen aus den 70er Jahren. Die Filme sind nach den Jahren sortiert. Zuerst wird die Geschichte kurz dargestellt, dann der Film besprochen. Es gibt viele zusätzliche Infos. Besprochen werden z.B. "Ombre roventi" oder "La notte dei dannati", in dem Pierre Brice eine Hauptrolle spielt. "Baba Yaga"—was ich für eine sehr gruselige Geschichte halte—wird leider nur erwähnt. Als Zugabe gibt es ein Kapitel über gruselige Serien und Filme, die in jener Zeit im italienischen Fernsehen liefen. Fazit: eine Schatztruhe für Filmfreunde und Gruselfans.